Overall, obviously it is disappointing to lose the tie, and have none left to look forward to this year. Had Murray been present, we'd have won a place in World Group qualifying for September. The individual player rankings don't lie - Belgium were simply a lot better on paper, and certainly have miles more depth in talent than we have. To remain in Group I is still a good result - that win over Slovakia was a big result for us.

Goffin is definitely one to keep an eye on, although we knew that already. He is very close to cracking the top 100, and is a future top 50 and beyond. I'd guess that his target for 2012 should be to seal a year-end top 75 ranking.

Evans played well, again, and I especially like his attitude. It is criminal that he is ranked as low as he is, and he should certainly be targeting at least a career-high ranking this year. Top 200 is easily achievable, and he has the talent to be solid top 150 material and earn sporadic entry to some of the bigger tour events.

A Davis Cup squad with him, Murray, Fleming and Hutchins could do damage to some of the second-tier teams.

We will really need some commitment from Murray next season, as the majority of ties will be away. Clay is likely to be a popular choice by many of those nations.

A wise move by Belgium to bench Rochus, and put Goffin into play. David is a very talented player, and there weren't really any doubts that he would win this. Another good effort by Goodall, although I was disappointed that he was affected a little by nerves in the early stages. The hope was that he might have a bullish mindset, and really go down firing. He might regret that a little, especially as once he went down an early break in the first set, it pretty much set the tone for the rest of the match.

A quick word on yesterday's doubles. I thought that it was a nice match. Goffin and Bemelmans put up good resistance, as was to be expected considering that they are decent singles players. They won the first set with some nice approaches to the net (especially from Goffin) but, surprisingly, Goffin lost a little confidence in that tactic soon afterwards, and allowed the Brits to gradually wrestle some control. Hutchins really picked up his returning from mid-second set, and that really gave the Brits the vital edge to clinch the remaining three sets.

Goodall's serve was firing well for much of his match against Darcis although, as expected, he didn't really have an answer when Steve was able to impose his game. Darcis's volatile side was present for the first 90 minutes or so, with three double faults in four service points almost leading to a comical meltdown at *4-5 in the first set. Goodall was unable to take advantage of three set points there, but played a good tiebreak to lead the match. That seemed to spark Darcis into life, and once he finally broke serve mid-second set, he didn't look back.

Evans was very impressive once again, and he really seems to enjoy the big occasion now, which is great to see. There was little to separate either player for pretty much the duration of the match, with plenty of quality exchanges. Ollie served for a 2-1 sets lead at *6-5 in the third set, but some sloppy play allowed Evans to force a tiebreak. At that stage, you got the impression that the winner of that set would win in four, and sadly Dan was unable to take advantage of a couple of set points, as Ollie edged it 9-7. Evans continued to battle, leading by a break in the fourth set, before losing the last four games. It was a particular shame as Rochus was beginning to cramp, and had Dan held onto his lead he might have won on retirement...

A must-win doubles tomorrow, and I sense that Belgium will stick to giving Bemelmans and Goffin an opportunity to play. Fleming and Hutchins are currently in good form, so hopefully they will win regardless. It could be a very difficult match though.

OOP has been released, and Goodall will be opening the tie against Darcis. Evans vs. Rochus to follow.

Fleming & Hutchins up against Bemelmans & Goffin on Saturday. Rochus and/or Darcis have been known to play DC doubles, but I wonder if Belgium might stick with their nominated pairing. They know that they should be winning the singles matches, so they might make the whole weekend a 'team effort.' I'd predict a 3-1 win, and they should win the dead rubber as well.

Good luck to the Brits! Enjoy it, play your hearts out, and you just never know...

Ward has had to pull out of the tie with a back problem, so Goodall will be taking his place.

Imo, that doesn't really alter our chances. Ward was low in confidence, and at least Goodall comes into this tie in some reasonable form. He has a good game for indoors, but my concern would be his return game which can be particlarly weak. It will be vital for him to hold onto his early service games in these matches, otherwise once he goes behind I think he won't be able to recover.

Yeah, it is a pity that Murray isn't playing. Had he been, we could have started to prepare for September WG qualifying.

I find it a bit disappointing that he said our goal for 2012 should be to consolidate our position in Group I. He is correct in saying that this our true level, but my philosophy in life is always to aim high(er), and it is a shame that he doesn't share that attitude.

We did extremely well to beat Slovakia two months ago, but this tie represents another huge step up. The Belgian players are stronger on paper than Lacko and Klizan and, crucially, they are much classier players - they can do a lot with the ball, whereas many of the young players of today are simply good at hitting ball after ball back into play, and not crafting the points.

Evans was almost able to outsmart Lacko and Klizan. He won't be able to do that in these singles matches. Rochus is a wily old fox, and is very tough to shake off. Darcis is a very talented player - his frequent struggles with injury have, arguably, prevented him from achieving much more (a regular top 50 position, for starters). Goffin has impressed me - not physically strong, but a precise striker of the ball.

The doubles match is the only rubber we have a very realistic chance of winning.

Ward's low level of confidence couldn't come at a worse time for him, against players of this calibre. Realistically, he will struggle to win a set in either singles imo, let alone a match.

Can Evans repeat his heroics? It is possible. He'd be playing Rochus first, which is perhaps more beneficial. There is a 10-year age gap between the two of them, but what Evans lacks in experience, he might make up for in stamina over a long match. He'd certainly need to take one of the first two sets to have any chance.

A potential live 5th rubber against Darcis or Goffin could be interesting, especially as all three men have a history of bad nerves, and are not so reliable on serve (all have a tendency to serve multiple double faults). Either Belgian would be expected to win but, in his better form, Evans could offer a stern challenge imo (especially to Goffin).

03-28-2012 04:30 AM

NyGeL

Europe/Africa Group I 2nd round: Belgium at Great Britain (6-8 April, 2012)